Milpitas Unified to End Busing for K-3 Students

Faced with losing money over busing nearly 200 students to school, Milpitas Unified's Board of Education voted to cut the service for students in kindergarten through third grade. 

Milpitas Unified will continue to transport about 70 special education students, due to the law which requires the district to provide service. But families of the additional 122 students in grades K-3 will need to come up with other options.

At the board meeting on Tuesday night, the move was expected to reduce the projected loss for the upcoming school year from $250,531 to $128,455, according to the presentation by Phuong Le, assistant superintendent of business services.

The school board had discussed the idea, among other possible cost-cutting measures, at its budget study session in June. 

Last school year, even with the assistance of nearly $283,000 in state funds, busing cost the school district more than half a million dollars to operate. The district took a hit of more than $200,000, and estimated they would lose more money in the 2011-12 school year.

“This is a tough decision. Year after year it has encroached on the general fund,” said Milpitas Unified Board of Education Clerk Bill Foulk. 

The move is expected to eliminate two out of five full-time equivalent drivers employed by the district, according to the presentation from the school board meeting on Tuesday night.

"I do feel that there should have been more discussion on other options rather than doing away with the home-to-school-busing," wrote Machelle Kessinger, chapter president of the California School Employees Association, which represents school bus drivers and other classified employees.

Last year, the district charged for bus service for K-3 students (not available to older students). The fee was reduced or free for low-income and special education students. But the full cost was $450 for the school year and paying students did not cover the expenses of the district to transport them.

Among the 120 non-special education students, 53 paid full-rate, 53 were free and 14 paid at the half-rate last year.

The district serves nearly 10,000 students in K-12.

"But if parents had children who had an older child, why would they pay for one child to be bused and find other means of transportation for the other child," wrote Kessinger. "I understand that we are in difficult times and our school board needs to make difficult decisions. But I don't feel the decision needed to be made last night."

But in the wake of budget uncertainty, non-essential services are being considered as potential cost cutting measures.

"Are we in the school business or the busing business," asked school board Vice-President Dan Bobay.

In the end, the board voted 4-0 (with Danny Lau absent) to eliminate busing for students in K-3.

Board member Gunawan Alisantosa said, “Our District must remain solvent.”